Volume 1: Winds Rising From the Mountains and Lakes Chapter 1: Xuanyuan Temple
The setting sun was setting in the west, the sky was full of red clouds, and the orioles were crying.
In the rolling mountains, the dusk gradually deepened, and the valley was dark and deep.
On a mountain peak, there was a faint smoke, curling away. In the afterglow of the setting sun, a small figure appeared in a dilapidated courtyard.
"Master... it's time to eat..."
A teenager walked through the courtyard happily.
His gray and old Taoist robe seemed a little big, his sleeves were rolled up high, and he held a basin of white rice in both hands.
Stepping over the foot-high threshold, the boy ran into a large house that was already dilapidated.
Three mottled and simple characters appeared on the lintel: Xuanyuan Temple.
An old Taoist priest came out of the house. His face was gaunt, his gray hair was tied into a Taoist bun, and there were three long beards under his chin.
"Master! Try the white rice cooked by my disciple, it's very fragrant!" The boy's eyebrows were smart, and there was a hint of mischief in his expression.
The old Taoist raised his eyebrows, and his eyes were full of kind smiles. He chuckled and said, "Master can eat all kinds of delicacies from mountains and seas, as well as simple meals. Only the rice cooked by Xiaoyi himself is the indispensable delicacy for Master every day!"
The young man named Xiaoyi smiled after hearing this. He took out two ceramic bowls from his arms, put the rice on them, and then took out two pairs of bamboo chopsticks from his waist.
The master and his disciple sat on the ground, and the faint fragrance of rice slowly spread.
Looking at Xiaoyi who was eating voraciously, the master put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hand, smiled and said, "People are nourished by grains. But we who practice Taoism should not eat grains, but eat wind and dew. You must know that grains cause all kinds of diseases! Xiaoyi, why don't you chew slowly? Don't choke!"
The master has a small appetite. It is better to say that he is chatting with the old man than to say that he is accompanying the master to eat. Xiaoyi was used to this. He chuckled, licked the rice on the corner of his lips, and smacked his lips.
After taking another mouthful of rice, Xiaoyi tilted his head, and said with a sly smile in his eyes: "Master! The ancients said: Those who eat meat are brave and fierce, and those who eat grains are wise and clever. In my opinion, I should eat more white rice!"
After hearing this, the old Taoist priest said, "Oh", held his long beard and pondered for a while, and suddenly laughed and scolded: "You stinky boy, you know two things but say one, and you take it out of context." Then his expression straightened up, and his tone was not without fascination, and he sighed: "The ancients also said: Those who eat air are gods and live long, and those who don't eat can expect the great way!"
"Master, it seems that it is better for me to eat meat. I can be a brave man and do chivalrous deeds." Xiaoyi laughed and changed the subject.
For some reason, the old Taoist priest didn't pay attention to Xiaoyi's words, but ordered: "Xiaoyi, bring my gourd here, and the pickled soybeans that Lao Lu gave me last time."
"Hmm... Got it" Xiaoyi hesitated, put down his bowl, and ran out. After a while, he ran back with a small wine gourd and a clay pot in his hand.
"Okay! Okay! Give me the gourd, and put the pickled soybeans on the ground."
The old Taoist priest took the wine gourd, raised his head and took a sip, sighed lightly, and then reached into the clay pot with bamboo chopsticks, picked up a soybean and threw it into his mouth, chewing it beautifully. The beard on his chin trembled with it.
While eating, Xiaoyi couldn't help laughing again at the master's self-satisfied look. The old Taoist priest seemed to be unaware and took another sip of wine.
Xiaoyi ate white rice with pickled soybeans, and soon the bowl of white rice was empty. He filled another bowl for himself, and seeing that his master was still intoxicated by the wine gourd and pickled soybeans, he said, "Master, please drink a little, don't get drunk again!".
"Well... It's okay! Master knows."
The old Taoist priest responded, sipping lightly.
The old Taoist priest's eyes became vague as he was slightly drunk.
Xiaoyi took a bite of rice and asked casually, "Master, what is the Tao you always talk about?"
"Hehe!"
The old Taoist priest laughed meaningfully. I don't know if it was because of the lingering taste of the wine or the strong taste of soybeans. He held his long beard with his hand and replied faintly, "The Tao of Heaven is not a thing...!? The Tao of Heaven is a thing?! It's not... cough cough!"
Maybe he was choked by the wine, or maybe his mind was a little confused. The old Taoist priest coughed lightly and shook his head, looking out the door with a dazed look, but he couldn't see anything clearly. Was it a pair of cloudy eyes covered with shadows, or was it the shadows of the mountains in the distance at dusk?
Perhaps it was because of old age and weakness, and he had more feelings. After a sigh, the old Taoist smiled bitterly and said: "What is the way of heaven? I have been searching for it for seventy years! I have never had the opportunity to glimpse the door! I have been busy in this world, but in the end, I have achieved nothing. Alas..."
Xiaoyi picked up the bowl, put away his playful expression, rolled his eyes, and said carefully: "Master, have you drunk too much again?"
Looking at the thin and slightly handsome disciple, the old Taoist felt very relieved. Hearing this, he was startled. He laughed and scolded: "You little brat, I am not drunk, but it is not the wine that makes people drunk, but people who make themselves drunk!"
Xiaoyi saw that his master's mood had improved, and took the opportunity to joke: "Master, you are already very capable. In the future, Xiaoyi will be as powerful as you. Master... Grandmaster should not blame you." As he said that, he secretly glanced at his master.
How could the disciple's thoughts be hidden from the master? The old Taoist priest smiled nonchalantly, "You little brat is just good at flattering others!" As he spoke, he raised his head and took another sip of wine.
"This Qianqiufu has been drunk by my master for decades, and it is still as mellow and thick as it was at the beginning, and it is still sharp and fierce. Alas! The wine is still the same, but the master is getting older day by day!"
The old Taoist priest changed his tone and said with some satisfaction, "But Xiaoyi is growing up day by day, hehe!"
...
The evening mountain breeze slowly swept over the mountain peaks and passed through the dilapidated main hall of Xuanyuan Temple.
The tall statue on the main hall, whose eyebrows and features could no longer be distinguished, was as quiet as it had been for thousands of years. The broken curtains on both sides fluttered slowly in the wind.
In front of the hall, the old Taoist priest lay on the futon, snoring beautifully.
A small figure was busy in the heavy twilight.
After covering his master with a single layer of clothes and packing up the simple food utensils, Xiaoyi slowly left the main hall of Xuanyuan Temple.
He walked through the small courtyard and came to the outside of the damaged courtyard wall of Xuanyuan Temple. A flat lying cow stone is where Xiaoyi likes to stay every day.
He swept off his Taoist robe and climbed up the lying cow stone as high as his shoulders with his hands and feet.
With his head resting on his arms and legs crossed, Xiaoyi lay down quietly.
It is May now. The sun is warm and there is a hint of wild mountain breeze, blowing on his body and face, which is very comfortable.
A bright moon hangs in the sky, and the moonlight pours on the top of the mountain like mercury. Under the melting moonlight, Xuanyuan Temple is solemn and desolate. In the distance, there are vast and boundless mountains, and the shadows of mountains are near and far.
This is the Qianli Taiping Mountain Range where Xuanyuan Temple is located.
On the lying cow stone, Xiaoyi likes to lie like this. Looking at the endless sky, listening to the faint chirping of insects and beasts in the mountains. At this time, his dark eyes would become more lively, and his little face would overflow with a trace of tranquility and indifference that was inconsistent with his age.
Since he could remember, Xiaoyi has followed his current master. The master's Taoist name is Qingyun, and he has never heard of his secular name. Taoist Qingyun said that he had forgotten it.
I'm afraid the master doesn't want to say it!
I heard from the master that Xuanyuan Temple was built by Xuanyuan Zhenren, and it has been more than a thousand years since then.
Xuanyuan Zhenren has achieved success in his life. It is said that he has the ability to go to heaven and earth, call the wind and rain, and is an immortal that everyone looks up to. When Xuanyuan Temple was in its heyday, there were many disciples under the door, and it was also a place for Chinese people to pilgrimage.
When he was more than 200 years old, Xuanyuan Zhenren ascended in broad daylight. At that time, the scene was unprecedented and shocked the crowd. Xuanyuan Zhenren's descendants sculpted Xuanyuan Zhensheng in Xuanyuan Temple and offered incense to continue the Taoist tradition.
But for some unknown reason, after Xuanyuan Zhenren ascended to heaven, no one in Xuanyuan Temple became an immortal, and the incense offerings gradually faded, so the disciples had to make a living everywhere.
The once bustling Xuanyuan Temple finally became deserted like it is now. Cultivating immortals has become a distant legend.
Master Qingyun is the 20th generation master of Xuanyuan Temple. Xiaoyi became the only 21st generation disciple of Xuanyuan Temple. Taoist Qingyun once said that Xiaoyi is the disciple of the head of the sect, that is, the only candidate for the next master of the temple. Therefore, the important task of reviving the former glory of Xuanyuan Temple fell on the 13-year-old Xiaoyi.
Thinking of this, Xiaoyi couldn't help but curl up his lips. He didn't care about the head of the sect! As for becoming an immortal? He was the same as ordinary people, and more of his knowledge of immortals came from teahouse stories and legends in the countryside.
In his imagination, there should be immortals in the sky. But he knew in his heart that he had never seen immortals, so naturally he would not really believe these legends.
Now the master has been practicing for decades. Apart from the secular martial arts and Qihuang techniques recognized by Xiaoyi, he thinks that the master is still far from becoming an immortal.
Isn't it good to have the company of the master every day, have enough food to eat, and learn the skills of the master? Xiaoyi is happy every day.
I heard from the master that he, Xiaoyi, was picked up by the master on the road.
At that time, Taoist Qingyun traveled around the world, pursuing the opportunity of heaven without success. On his way back to Xuanyuan Temple, he met villagers who were harmed by mountain bandits. A couple of mountain people who were seriously injured and dying entrusted Xiaoyi, who was more than a year old, to this kind Taoist priest.
Taoist Qingyun also adopted this poor child because there was no successor to Xuanyuan Temple.
For more than ten years, the old Taoist priest has worked hard and finally raised the orphan.
Therefore, Taoist Qingyun is like a rebirth for Xiaoyi, and his kindness is better than that of parents!
When Xiaoyi was five or six years old, Taoist Qingyun taught him the teachings of Xuanyuan Temple.
Unfortunately, he was old and weak. Even though Taoist Qingyun had practiced for his whole life, his health was not as good as before. In addition, the master and apprentice did not make money in a proper way, and their life became more and more difficult. In desperation, the old Taoist priest had to take Xiaoyi down the mountain frequently. The master and apprentice did some exorcism in the nearby towns and counties in order to obtain some meager offerings. In addition, they treated injuries and diseases for the nearby mountain people and also obtained some rice, salt and mountain products.
Although life was hard, it was leisurely and carefree for the young Xiaoyi.
The thousand years of Xuanyuan Temple passed slowly in the days as light as water.
The mountain where Xuanyuan Temple is located is called Xianrending, which is more than 100 feet high and is one of the 18 peaks of Taiping Mountain Range.
Xianrending Mountain is steep, with knife-cut cliffs on the east, west and north sides. To the south is a road down the mountain, which is a stone staircase carved along the ridge. The three-foot-wide staircase connects the upper and lower peaks like a long snake.
The top of the mountain is twenty feet in radius, with the main hall of Xuanyuan Temple and more than a dozen side rooms built, but it has fallen into disrepair and has become what it is now.
In addition to the main hall, there are two or three side rooms that can shelter from wind and rain, where the master and apprentice cook and sleep.
There is a stone archway at the foot of the mountain, which was the original gate of Xuanyuan Temple.
There are also some ruins near the gate, which seem to witness everything that once existed here...
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